Gartner research: 65% of CMOs expect drastic AI-driven transformation

Gartner research released in February 2026 found that 65% of surveyed CMOs expect artificial intelligence to drastically transform their roles over the next two years, while only 32% say they need to develop significant skills changes. MIT Technology Review Brasil argues that the gap reflects a focus on individual tools, such as chatbots and content generators, rather than changes to companies’ processes.

The article distinguishes automation, which executes predefined steps, from agents, which receive a goal and choose the steps to achieve it. It also defines orchestration as the coordination of multiple agents. According to the analysis, marketing AI adoption happens in stages; the first is the assistant stage, involving tools embedded in marketing technology that broaden access to knowledge but still produce mainly individual gains.